Spicy Snack Roundup: Siete Spicy Dill Pickle Chips, Siete Chipotle BBQ Chips, Goldfish Hot Buffalo Pretzels

As I continue to sample the various spicy snacks out there, I found a few options that are on the healthier side and also offer a kick. Here is the roundup from my latest munchy fest:

Siete Spicy Dill Pickle Chips: Siete is a Mexican-American snack brand “that creates delicious heritage-inspired foods with thoughtfully selected ingredients,” and I rather enjoyed their Fuego potato chips that I previously tried (more on those here). These are kettle-cooked chips made with all-natural ingredients, and I found their Spicy Dill Pickle flavor to be rather tasty as well.

The vinegar flavor of pickles comes through, but it does not overwhelm with too much sourness. You feel the pucker, but there is a little bit of sweetness in there to balance the flavors out. Even those who typically don’t like the dill pickle flavor—and I have to admit that I am getting a little tired of it—will still likely enjoy these, as I did. The chips also have a good crunch to them, even though they are not as thick as most kettle-cooked varieties.

The heat is definitely lacking, though, barely getting to Mild on my scale. I would have liked more of a kick, but I did enjoy the taste since they did not go for dill pickle overload. And they are a healthier chip option (notice the short list of ingredients below). My HEB carries the Siete brand, as does Sprouts, and I am guessing you can find them at Whole Foods as well. You can also order directly from their website.

Siete Chipotle BBQ Chips: Also from Siete, I tried their spicy version of a BBQ chip. They have a smokiness to them and a sweetness, but not quite as intense as the typical BBQ chip. There is a peppery kick there as well, though overall the flavors are on the more subtle side. That is not a bad thing, though, as they don’t overwhelm but still deliver good taste.

These chips don’t seem to have much heat at first, but the burn starts to build up after you have eaten a few, getting a little bit above Mild on my scale. I might have liked them better with more of a bite, but they are still quite tasty and only 120 mg of sodium. As mentioned above, you can find these in health food stores like Sprouts and Whole Foods, and my local HEB carries them as well.

Goldfish Hot Buffalo Pretzels: Pepperidge Farm added this flavor to its Goldfish lineup late last year, and they finally made it to the shelves of my local HEB. I have always been a big fan of their pretzel flavor, and now they are kicking it up even more with the Buffalo seasoning. That adds the expected hot sauce tang, and there is a little bit of sweetness in there to balance it out. It does not get too sour, but it is definitely a bold flavor, and hot sauce lovers should enjoy this one.  Plus, these Goldfish deliver a nice crunch.

As for the heat, you feel it right away, and it gets up close to Medium on my scale after gobbling down several of these fish-shaped crackers. It won’t set your mouth on fire, but the burn is still pretty good from one of the major manufacturers that usually caters to the average consumer. These are also lower in fat than the standard snack serving (5g), so you could argue they are on the healthier side. As mentioned, I found these at HEB (though the Goldfish Crisps were notably absent from the shelves), and most of the major grocery stores likely have them available as well.

Nutrition Info:

Siete Spicy Dill Pickle Chips

Ingredients: Potatoes, avocado oil, spicy dill pickle seasoning [distilled white vinegar powder (tapioca solids, distilled white vinegar), ground dates, sea salt, chile peppers, serrano peppers, citric acid, guajillo peppers, dill, green bell pepper powder, garlic powder].

Serving Size: 28g (About 15 Chips)
Calories: 140
Fat: 7g (1g Sat/0 Trans)
Protein: 2g
Carbs: 17g
Sodium: 210mg

Siete Chipotle BBQ Chips

Ingredients: Potatoes, Avocado Oil, Ground Dates, Sea Salt, Distilled White Vinegar Powder, Chipotle Powder, Tomato Powder, Onion Powder, Citric Acid, Black Pepper, Garlic Powder, Parsley, Red Chile Powder

Serving Size: 28g (About 15 Chips)
Calories: 140
Fat: 7g (1g Sat/0 Trans)
Protein: 2g
Carbs: 17g
Sodium: 120mg

Goldfish Hot Buffalo Pretzels

Ingredients: enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), vegetable oil (canola, soybean and/or sunflower), corn maltodextrin, contains 2% or less of: salt, sodium diacetate, baking soda, tapioca malt syrup (tapioca syrup, malt extract), red chili peppers, garlic powder, modified food starch, cayenne pepper sauce (aged red peppers, vinegar, salt), monosodium glutamate, citric acid, paprika extract (color), vinegar, lactic acid, disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate

Serving Size: 30g (About 23 Pieces)
Calories: 140
Fat: 5g (0.5g Sat/0 Trans)
Protein: 2g
Carbs: 21g
Sodium: 350mg